This invention relates generally to resistance attenuators of wide band frequency response and more particularly to a high power attenuator and termination constructed in the form of a microstrip transmission line.
In the past high power terminations have been made from a large block of dissipative or resistive material. The size of the block material determines the power dissipation capability of the load. The use of such devices, however, has been limited to either relatively narrow frequency ranges where the parasitic reactances can be tuned out or over larger frequency ranges at reduced accuracy. More recently, a resistance attenuator in which a lossy transmission line is employed to form a distributed resistor from which a plurality of separate shunt resistors of equal value extend therefrom has been shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,676, entitled, "Continuously Variable Resistance Attenuator Using Lossy Transmission Line And Having Constant Signal Transit Time" issued to V. E. Garuts on June 19, 1973. It is to this latter type of device to which the subject invention is directed.